Oil-burner.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

U. W. PHELPS.

OIL BURNER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1906.

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CHARLES WV. PHELPS, OF UNIVERSITY PLACE, NEBRASKA.

OIL-BURNER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907.

Application filed March 27, 1906. Serial No. 308,231.

To aZZ 1077 0711, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. PHELPS, a citizen of the United States, residing at University Place, in the county of Lancaster and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil-Burn-v ers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to burners for lamps or stoves burning kerosene or other hydrocarbon oils and it has for its object the more perfect shielding of the wick from contact with air or vapor before the point of combustion, the creation of a more perfect capillary action for drawing oil into the wick, better and smoother wick raising movement than with lamps at present known, and the creation of an electrical connection between the burner and the oil whereby the flame will be given increased size and brilliancy.

The invention consists in the arrangement of parts and details of construction as set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a lamp body and burner. Fig. 2 is a cross section in the line 2-2 Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective of the outer wick raising clasp. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section of a segment of such a clasp or ring split view showing the fastening means for such ring.

Like reference numerals designate like parts in all the views.

3 designates an oil reservoir of any shape or dimensions, mounted on the base shell 4 usual in this class of lamps, having the air inlet openings 4. Projecting up through the reservoir and communicating with the interior of the base shell 4 is the central wick tube 5, which at its upper end carries the removable flame spreader 6. This is perforated as usual in this class of lamps for the passage of air to the interior of the flame.

The burner body may be of any suitable construction, and rests upon the reservoir 3. It has an interior wall 7 which contacts with the wick 10 and this, with the exterior perforated Wall 7", forms an air chamber 7 surrounding the wick below the flame. Perforations in the upper face 7 of the charm ber admit the air to the flame. In Fig. 1, 8 indicates the chimney of the lamp, 8 the the filling opening to the reservoir,as usual in this class of devices.

It will be observed that the lower end 7 of the annular chamber 7 is imperforate, and that at its inner margin where it touches the wick 10 it has a downwardly projecting flange 7 Attached to this flange in any suitable manner, as by soldering, or brazing, is a dowinvardly projecting compound tubelike sheath'll which, as will be seen more clearly in Fig. 2, partially surrounds the wick 10. Between the inner face of this sheath and the outer face of the control wick tube 5, is the annular chamber in which the wick moves.

The sheath is made of two layers of metal, the inner layer 11, which contacts with the wick, being of zinc and the enter 1]., of copper, thus forming a couple having electromotive relations to each other.

While I may use other elements than zinc and copper,as for instance nickel and platinum, or tin and copper, I prefer Zinc and copper as these are in common use to form an electric couplev In order that the wick may be operated, it is necessary to slot the sheath longitudinally. I form this slot, or longitudinal opening for the travel of the wick clasp 13 by not making the sheath a complete circle but cutting it away sufliciently so that a longitudinal opening 10 the width of the wick clasp lug 13 will be left. This slot or opening is bridged by a copper wire 12 which is attached to and moves up and down with the wick clasp l3, and which has two contacting ends 12, which constantly bear on and connect one margin of the copper sheath 1.1 with the other.

The compound sheath of zinc and copper extends from the upper end of the reservoir nearly to the bottom thereof, and protects the wick against any contact with vapor or air in the upper part of the reservoirs, except that part of the wick which is unavoidably exposed along the slot 10". There is a very small space between the inner surface of the sheath and the wick, and the conjoined surfaces of wick and sheath and of the wick and inner tubes 5, exert a capillary attraction on the oil in the reservoir drawing it up to the burner more regularly and in greater quantity. This is particularly so because the wick is protected from contact with any air and vapor in the upper part of the reservoir. Hence the wick chamber acts as a tube open at its lower end and supplying fuel to the burner at the point of combustion. It will thus be seen that the wick is contained in an annular wick passageior tube which assists the wick in drawing up the oil to the flame.

In order that the wick may be moved up and down that it may regulate it properly, I may use any means, but preferably I use a wick clasp 13 which is a ring of metal (preferably copper) surrounding the wick and having projecting from it at one point in its diameter a lug 13 whereby it may be engaged with the arm by a wick regulator 15. Preferably I provide the ring 13 of the clasp with inwardly projecting teeth 13 which engage with the wick and positively hold it. The lug 13 while it may be made in any desired way, I have shown as formed of an outwardly projecting fold of metalriveted to the ring 13 as at 13. An arm 15 having an upwardly projecting pin 15 engages with this folded lug and the other end of said arm is carried by an elevating rod 15,-such as is commonly used 011 lamps of this character. There is no invention in this elevating rod and therefore I have not shown it in detail, it being constructed and operated as other rods of like character are.

In order that the wick may be engaged with the clasp so positively that any motion of the clasp will move the wick, I prefer to employ in conjunction with said outer clasp 13 an inner ring 16 having outwardly projecting teeth which engage withthe wick. The inside surface of this inner ring slides on the outside of the inner tube 5. It is to be noted that the inner ring is of greater width than the outer ring and that therefore two oppositely bent sets of teeth act to flex the wick somewhat to make a secure engagement between the wick and the raising device. It is also to be noted that the wick is engaged entirely around by the clasp 3 and the inner ring 16 and not merely at one point in its circumference, as is usually the case in lamps of this character. By this means the wick is moved bodily, as a whole, and there is no liability of wrinkling it or of moving one portion of the wick more than another por tion thereof, a fault to which most lamps are liable.

In order that the outer clasp 13 may be placed with more convenience upon the wick, I prefer to split it as at 14 forming one portion of the ring with a tongue 14 which projects into a recess 14 in the other portion of said ring. A pin 14' in said recess engages with the tongue 14. This .pin does not project out beyond the outer faceof the recess 14 as otherwise it would engage with the surrounding sheath 11. The exterior and interior faces of these rings should be made as smooth as possible so that there shall be no obstruction to their movement upward and downward in the annular spaces between the wick and the faces of the tube 5 and 11.

The advantages of my invention are as follows: The principal advantage resides in a more perfect combustion of the oil than with any other lamps of the same type known to me, and the consequent prevention of odor or smoke, and much greater light power. The reason for the peculiar action of the compound metal sheath is unknown to me, but that such a compound metal sheath forming an electrical couple is of great value in increasing the power of the lamp, is a fact discovered by me after a long series of experiments.

The increased brilliancy and larger flame given by a lamp using the compound wick sheath I believe to be due to the effect of sulfuric acid in the oil actingupon the copper and zinc plates and causing electrolytic action, this action being increased by connecting the outer plate by the conductor 13 thus completing what might be called the circuit.

In addition to the action of the compound sheath, a further advantage resides as before explained, in inclosing the wick within the annular space between a sheath and an inner tube, in that such a space acts to help the capillary attraction of the wick. In explanation of the value of the shield in closing the wick space from the entrance of any air or vapor which may be in the upper part of the reservoir, it may be pointed out that if there were openings from the upper part of the reservoir into the wick space, the suction of the oil up through saidspace would be interfered with, just as the suction power of a tube having openings at its upper end and its lower end dipped into a liquid container, would be much less than with a tube entirely closed. When the wick is unprotected, the oil carried upwardly thereby is partly vaporized in its passage, minute particles of air or vapor are carried upward with the oil and the oil supply at the point of combustion is therefore irregular and uneven. Again, by inclosing the wick in a wick passage extending from the top nearly to the bottom of the reservoir, the wick is held evenly along its entire length and prevented from bunching or wrinkling. The wick clasp, encircling the wick, acts upon it at all points and the wick is fed upward evenly. This is not the case where the wick is moved by the engagement of a device at only one point of its circumference.

The wicks in lamps of my construction may be raised twice as high as in other lamps without smoking, or may be turned extremely low without giving out any smoke or odor, and lamps constructed according to my invention give out nearly twice as much light and heat as lamps of like size not so made.

It may be remarked in this connection that lamps of my construction on account of the increased combustion demand more air supplied to the flame and the air inlets to the air chamber 7 and in the flame spreader 6, should be larger in consequence.

It is to be understood that my wick inclosing compound sheath, may be also applied to fiat wick lamps, or oil stoves, and that I do not wish to be limited to an annular wick such as I have shown. The invention is aplicable to any form of lamp or stove using a Iiquid reservoir and a wick.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for burning liquid fuel, a fluid reservoir, a burner mounted on said reservoir, a wick sheath extending downward from said burner into said reservoir, said sheath being composed of an inner and an outer layer of difl erent metals having electromotive relation to each other, said sheath being slotted along its length, and the outer member of the sheath being provided with a conductor crossing said slot and contacting with the two edges of the sheath on either side thereof.

2. In an apparatus for burning liquid fuel, a fluid reservoir, a burner mounted on said reservoir, a wick sheath extending downward from said burner into the reservoir, said sheath beingcomposed of an inner and an outer layer of dili'erent metals having electromotive relation to each other, and be ing slotted along its length, a wick raising device adapted to engage the wick and projecting out of said slot, and a conductor crossing said slot and contacting with the two edges of the sheath on either side of the cell, said conductor being shiftable upward and downward in conformity with the movement of the wick raising device.

3. In an apparatus for burning liquid fuel,

a fluid reservoir, a burner mounted on said reservoir, a tubular wick sheath extending downward from said burner into said reservoir and nearly to the bottom thereof, said sheath being composed of an inner and an outer layer of different metals having electromotive relation to each other, said sheath being slotted along its length, and. a wick clasp embracing said wick and projecting outward through the slot in the said sheath, said clasp carrying a conductor which contacts with the two edges of the sheath on either side of said slot, substantially as described.

l. In an apparatus for burning liquid fuel, a fluid reservoir, a burner mounted on said reservoir, a central wick tube extending through said reservoir, a tubular wick sheath extending downward from said burner and into said reservoir and nearly to the bottom thereof, having a longitudinal slot along it, an inner ring surrounding the central tube and movable therealong having outwardly projecting teeth for engaging the wick and a longitudinally movable wick clasp adapted to surround and embrace the wick inside of said tubular wick sheath and having a lug extending outwardly through the slot, and means on the reservoir for engaging said lug to move the wick clasp and wick up or down, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for burning liquid fuel, a fluid reservoir, a burner mounted on said reservoir having air inlets, a central air tube extending from said burner and downward through said reservoir and having air inlet openings thereto and air outlet openings to the flame, a tubular wick sheath extending downward from said burner and into said reservoir and nearly to the bottom thereof, said sheath being composed of an inner layer of zinc and an outer layer of copper, and having a longitudinal slot therealong, a wick clasp adapted to engage the nick and movable upwardly and downwardly between the inner tube and the said sheath and having a lug projecting outward through the said slot in the sheath, a copper connecting strip mounted on said clasp and contacting with the sheath along the edges of the slot, and means on the reservoir for engaging with said lug for moving the wick clasp upward or downward, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 22nd. day of March 1906.

CHARLES PHELPS.

\Vitnesscs:

ARCIIIBALD E. TURNER, HENRY RUPERT. 

